


The Principle of Sufficient Reason

by boononjie



Category: K-pop, SEVENTEEN (Band), Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Magic, Blood Curse, Blood purity, Bullying, Discrimination, F/M, Friendship, M/M, Magic, Magic-Users, Other, Prophecy, School
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2020-07-23 05:55:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20003410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boononjie/pseuds/boononjie
Summary: Ex nihilo, nihil fit. Spinoza once postulated that from nothing, nothing comes and Vernon realizes precisely that over the years. After all, there must be a reason why out of the billion people in the world, he can do magic and he can do it well.A Harry Potter AU inspired by the incredible fanart of @dixiensept over at twitter.





	1. An Invitation

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoy the start to a complex SVTxHP AU for Seventeen. This chapter will have Vernon only.

Sometimes, Heechul absolutely hates being a Deputy Headmaster. Sure, there are perks to being the Deputy Headmaster to one of the greatest wizarding schools in Asia, but most of the time, the responsibilities outweigh the perks. For instance, according to the Hogwarts Schools Charter, which was penned sometime in the middle of 21st Century, it is the Deputy Headmaster’s sole duty to personally welcome and deliver acceptance letters to all muggleborns. Don’t get him wrong, while most people like to believe he is the second coming of Lord Voldemort, he has never shamed any magical person by blood purity. He admits to shaming people by mental ability though, and honestly if people are offended by that, then that says more about themselves than him. In fact, in his 20 years of teaching the most respected art of Potions to Asia’s magical youths, he finds that it’s almost always muggleborns who top the classes and end up apprenticing in Potions.

Most of the time, he is looking forward to meeting the muggleborn batch, but this year he finds it a bit exhausting. It is his third international portkey back to Seoul and he curses Leeteuk for scheduling 3 international students in one day. He hopes Taeyeon keeps him a little longer in her office, Taeyeon can be an absolute beast when it comes to Ministry matters and safety. And that’s one of the perks to being a Deputy Headmaster as he is required by the charter to be completely out of reach of the Ministry’s clutch. He’s just grateful he doesn’t have to deal with any of those Ministry ladies. They’re good witches, but honestly dealing with those 8 department heads is simply out of his pay grade.

There are only four muggleborns in this year’s intake, and he is now visiting the last one who thankfully resides in Seoul. Heechul looks at the tall building in front of him and debates apparating straight to Mr. Chwe Hansol Vernon’s door. He figures he’s too tired to do so and takes the lift to the 36th floor instead, preening while waiting. A ding sounds and the lift doors open to a brightly lit hallway and Heechul follows the arrows pointing to 3612.

* * *

“Sol, open the door please it might be your mom and Sof.”

Hansol shoots up from his bed and reluctantly drops his copy of “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardobe” on his bed and lets out a long suffering sigh. He’s just getting deep into the new book that his mother gave him as a present and he’s knocked out of the fantasy world when he hears his father’s order.

He is not so surprised when he looks down at his pyjama pants and sees a pattern of lampposts and a faun that seems to fit the description of Mr. Tumnus in his book. It’s not the first time it happens and he’s pretty sure it won’t be the last either, he’s gotten used to his clothes having different designs whenever he thinks deeply of something over the years, but he does groan in displeasure when he finds the turtle slip ons Sofia chose for him turn into mouse skin slippers.

'Must be Reepicheep,' he thinks as he pads through the he living room. He pulls a short stool and rests it against the door as he steps up on it. He looks through the peephole and sees an older person with long hair wrapped around a pair of ornate chopsticks and wearing a deep green colored robe.

“Dad! I don’t know him!” Hansol shouts back to his father, climbing down his makeshift step.

His father comes out of the kitchen and Hansol waits patiently for him at the door. His father checks the peephole and slowly removes the lock from the door, pulling on it to open the door a bit. From his position, Vernon could see that the person outside is a guy who was wearing a plain white shirt tucked in faded jeans and shiny, pointed, brown leather boots. The guy’s emerald silk robe is covered with a darker paisley pattern, and Hansol thinks he has never seen an older guy that cool. However, he thinks this guy will look much cooler in a different robe, and he can’t even stop his traitorous brain from imagining a better look.

* * *

“Oh my, I’m so sorry,” the older guy, Heechul assumes to be Mr. Chwe Hansol Vernon’s father, bows deeply as he pulls Heechul inside the flat. At first, he’s confused, but when he looks down at the robe that Mr. Chwe grabs, he realizes that his meticulously chosen, Slytherin-inspired robe that he had custom-made is now a rich, maroon satin robe with golden damask pattern and ruby trimming. Heechul is horrified and impressed at the same time. He looks at Mr. Chwe who is apologetic and then shifts his gaze to the suspected culprit.

“I guess, I don’t need to introduce you to magic then?” Heechul says offhandedly but before he could wave his wand over himself. His robes return to its original state and it becomes very difficult for him not to gape at Mr. Chwe Hansol Vernon who is goggling at him in his bright pink shirt and lamp-post/faun pants.

“Magic?” the boy asks with wide eyes and raised eyebrows.

“Yes boy, that’s what you just did,” Heechul remarks and he can only raise an eyebrow as the boy unhinges his jaw and stares dumbly at him.

Mr. Chwe ushers them into the living room and all Heechul can think is that Mr. Chwe Hansol Vernon is someone he has to watch out for when he comes to Hogwarts.

* * *

“You’re a wizard, Mr. Chwe Hansol,” Heechul immediately says as soon as he’s set the cup of tea down on the coffee table. The three are in the living room with Vernon sitting stiffly on one of the ottomans and the adults having tea on the chaise.

“I’m a what?” Hansol drops the honorifics in shock and he looks at his father for guidance, but his father is as shocked as him.

“I’m sorry?” his father questions. “But what do you mean?”

Heechul snorts indelicately. “I mean what I meant. Mr. Chwe, your son, Hansol Vernon Chwe is a wizard. He is someone who can do magic and apparently, do it well for someone so young.”

Hansol’s father can only gape at him, so Heechul continues. “I am Professor Kim Heechul. I am also a wizard, and I have come here representing Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – Asia Campus. I would like to extend a formal invitation to Mr. Chwe Hansol Vernon for starting his wizarding education. You see all magical-”

“You mean, magic is real?” Hansol suddenly interrupts Heechul’s explanation.

Heechul fixes a stare on him and Hansol feels a bit chastised. He mutters a soft sorry and gestures for Mr. Kim Heechul to continue what he was going to say, but Heechul brushes this off.

“Of course magic is real,” Heechul responds instead. “It’s all around us, and it’s what makes the world operate.”

“Actually, force does,” Hansol can’t help but interject, he just learned about forces in science.

“Sol, please don’t interrupt Mr. Kim,” his father lightly berates him, but Heechul only lets a snort.

“I hope you save your wit for your classes Mr. Chwe, or else you will just find yourself in trouble,” Heechul remarks. “But you are right, it is force that makes the world operate, and magic is a force.”

At this, Hansol is strangely reminded of Star Wars but he wisely keeps his mouth shut.

“Tell me, Mr. Chwe, has there been anything unexplainable surrounding your son while growing up?”

Hansol’s father leans back and starts. “Well there are his clothes,” he says as he gestures towards the ensemble that Hansol is currently wearing. “And your clothes earlier, which again, I have to apologise for.”

“It’s of no consequence,” Heechul says dismissively and turns to Vernon instead. “I take it that this is not the first time you have transfigured clothes.”

“Transfigure?” Hansol queries. “Yeah I guess, if that’s what you call changing your clothes?”

Heechul tuts. “It’s not just clothes Mr. Chwe. To transfigure something is to essentially change an object. Not only have you managed to change my robes design, but you’ve also managed to change the material and add trimmings, all the while returning it back to its original.”

“Oh,” Hansol shyly remarks. “I just thought you’d get mad if I didn’t change it back, so I did.”

“That’s even more impressive,” Heechul comments with a dismissing brush of his hands. “Accidentally causing things to change is not unheard of for children with magic. They are unable to control their magic yet, and in times of stress or pressure, magical outbursts manifest. However, to be able to intentionally direct your magic in order to undo the effects of accidental magic is very difficult to do without magical education. Tell me, Hansol Vernon, it is not the first time you have controlled your magic right?”

“You can just call me Hansol,” he starts. “And yes, this is pretty much a regular thing for me.”

Heechul only gestures for him to elaborate. Hansol bites his lip and considers what he should say.

“Well, I mean, the changing of clothes is pretty much common to me now. Sometimes I do it unconsciously, like now,” Hansol says, waving a hand at the outfit he is wearing. “I was reading the book mom gave me and it has a certain theme going on, and I guess my pants changed the patterns while I was so into it.”

Heechul nods and sneaks a glance at Vernon’s father. Mr. Chwe does not seem fazed by the admission. It must happen a lot for him to become so unsurprised by the occurrence.

“He’s always been like that,” Mr. Chwe jumps in, as if feeling Heechul’s eyes on him. “It first happened when he was a baby, barely a year old. He would be sleeping soundly in his cot and when we wake up to check up on him, he would be wearing a different onesie. His white onesies would always turn into rainbow patterned ones. We would always be confused about it because we’re sure we haven’t been buying him all those colorful clothes.”

“And, there was also a time when I made the pants of the kids who bullied me at school disappear,” Vernon interrupts.

Heechul cracks a smile at that. He briefly wonders how it would be for him if this kid ends up in Slytherin. For sure, the purebloods would put up a fuss, but this Hansol Vernon Chwe does not seem like one to back down.

Hansol is mollified a bit. “I just wanted to stop them for a bit, or else they’ll be able to catch me again and lock me in the washroom.”

Mr. Chwe sighs and even though Heechul is typically detached from student drama and student’s feelings, he can’t help but feel a bit disturbed by what Hansol just said.

“About that, Mr. Kim,” Mr. Chwe starts. “You said that you are from this Hogwarts School.”

“Yes, I am. I am the Deputy Headmaster for this school,” Heechul acknowledges, and with a wave of his wand, a rolled-up hanji* scroll, tied with a red ribbon and an enamel crest hanging off the ribbon appeared before them. Heeechul gives the scroll to Hansol who receives it gracefully. “This is the formal invitation for your magical education. Please note that as a legally recognized wizard, you are required to take a magical education with an accredited wizarding school.”

Mr. Chwe clears his throat and spares Hansol a glance. “Well, would you mind staying a little longer Mr. Kim? Our Hansol’s education is a family matter to be discussed and I believe my wife should be here as well.”

* * *

It wasn’t too long when Hansol’s mother and sister arrived. His father was just asking about magic in general when his mother comes in with his sister in tow. Surprise was clearly written on her face when she sees the professor but it quickly turns into confusion with the professor’s introduction. His mother was a bit skeptical about the whole magic thing, but she relents when the professor casts a translation charm that allowed him to communicate freely. After reassuring his parents that this was not an elaborate prank, the professor dives into the details of Hansol’s future in magical education. Hansol knows he should be interested in his schooling prospects, but he can’t help but feel something heavy in the pit of his stomach at the thought of changing his current situation. It’s a bit too hard for him to focus on the adults’ discussion, so when the professor bids them goodbye, he is shaken out of his reverie.

“Well?” Hansol asks, peering at his parents as they watch Professor Heechul disappear with a soft whoosh. Sofia claps at this and immediately starts twirling on the spot. Hansol doesn’t even remember her sitting down with them for the discussion, but maybe she never really had the chance to go back to her room.

“Sol, maybe you should open the letter first? Professor Heechul said that majority of the details are in that scroll,” his mother replies.

Hansol suddenly realizes that he is gripping the scroll a bit too tightly. “Yeah, I’ll read it tonight, maybe. But what’s your decision?”

“It’s not just our decision to make, you know,” his father answers, placing a hand on his shoulder and rubbing it reassuredly. “Ultimately, whatever magical law they have, it is still your call.”

Hansol lets out a sigh of relief, chewing on his lip to think. “Oh, well, can I go to my room? I think all this is just too much.”

His parents nod understandingly, a look passing between them before his mother says, “Alright, Sol, we’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

* * *

When Hansol reaches his room, the first thing he does is plop down on his bed. He looks at the posters on his wall and realizes that most of them are of magical creatures, like that one poster of that dragon from Eragon, and of course, the beautiful nine-tailed fox painting that his mother made for him. He wonders if any of these creatures are real and not just creations of people’s imagination.

Hansol shifts his gaze to the scroll in his hands and he fidgets with the enamel crest, not wanting to open it yet. A part of him is in still in shock by all of this, and even if the concept of magic is not that hard to believe seeing all the things he has done without apparent cause, he is still frozen at the thought of attending a magical school.

Bits and pieces of the discussion return back to him as he makes himself comfortable in his bed, like the fact that the school is apparently in the middle of nowhere Busan, and that he will be cooped up in some old castle for 10 months. He’ll be in a closed environment, out of his family’s reach and with a possibly weak support system. He doesn’t know what to do. Admittedly, it is exciting to be able to learn about his magical side, but to be thrust in a completely foreign culture, community, and school are just too daunting.

On top of that, there is the fact that he just left school because he is uncomfortable in that kind of setting. Years of bullying and being singled-out as a half-Korean has taken its toll on him. When he finally got the courage to do home-schooling, he’s being asked to return to the same setting that chewed him up and spit him out? Sure it’s a magical school, but just how different can magical kids be? They are still kids, Hansol is pretty sure that there will always be something to be mean about for kids his age.

But, despite all the negatives weighing on his mind, he thinks of whether he would be able to forgive himself if he denied this magical part of him. His mind flashes back to what Professor Heechul said earlier that if ever there was a chance of him turning away Hogwart’s invitation or any other magical schools’ invitations, Hansol would be stripped completely of his knowledge of magic and their ministry would most likely cover up his magical accidents by routine memory manipulation. And Hansol is scared of that. Sure knowing there’s a whole other world he can’t completely understand is scary, but the prospect of someone having to change his memories all throughout his life is even scarier. He’s read so many stories and manhwas about mental manipulation and those are just fictional, but they have given him so many nightmares.

Hansol sighs and wonders just why this so-called magical community thought it would be best to introduce themselves to children who are just 11 years old. It sucks, and it looks like he doesn’t even have a choice at all. He unties the ribbon holding the scroll together and places the enamel crest on his table, unrolling the scroll.

The same enamel crest is printed on the header of the scroll and below it are words written in an elegant script.

> **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – Asia**
> 
> **Headmaster : Park Jungsu Leeteuk**
> 
> _(Head Virtuoso of the Luan Treaties, 9 th Honour of Kumihos, and Utmost Class of Kirin Society)_
> 
> Dear _**Mr. Chwe Hansol Vernon**_ ,
> 
> We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – Asia. Term begins on 1st of September, we await your charms no later than the 31st of July.
> 
> Yours sincerely,
> 
> Deputy Headmaster
> 
> _**Kim Heechul** _
> 
> _(9 th Honour of Kumihos, Utmost Class of Kirin Society)_

The letter was brief and direct. If not for the fact that the words magic, witchcraft and wizardry were contained in it, it would have been an ordinary school placement letter. Hansol is a bit confused about the reference to charms, but as if the letter was reading his thoughts, words started appearing below the original paragraph.

> _“Please note that flipping the enclosed charm thrice in your right hand would serve as your reservation, while flipping the charm thrice in your left hand indicates refusal. Once charm is activated, it will enlarge and serve as your magical school badge with your full name and year. A letter will be sent containing your fees, books and equipment lists, and assigned portkey station. Additionally, please ensure that your charm is with you on 1 st of September as it will be your transport pass for the portkey stations.”_

“Woah,” Hansol breathes out in amazement as he finished reading the post-note to himself. The only thing he understood is that he has to keep the enamel charm safe or else he won’t be able to get to the school. The rest of the words are a mystery to him though. He figures that it will all come to him when he decides if Hogwarts is right for him, for now, he rolls the scroll back and ties the ribbon and charm around it before placing it in his desk’s drawer for safekeeping.

He notices the book he was reading earlier and since his mother hasn’t called for dinner yet, decides that he should continue reading where he left off. After all, knowing more about magic couldn’t hurt him one bit.

* * *

Heechul doesn’t bother knocking on Leeteuk’s door as soon as he reaches the private heon* of the Headmaster. As expected, Leeteuk was sat on the floor, playing with his familiar, a silver tailed jindo*.

“Oh Heechul,” Leeteuk says, looking up to find a very serious expression on his Deputy Headmaster’s face. “How was the visit to the muggleborns?”

Heechul stares back at him unfazed, steel in his voice. “I think I found him, Leeteuk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Hanji - is the traditional paper used in Ancient Korea. It is made out of mulberry bark and is very durable, as such it was used as paper for official documents back then.  
> *Heon – in a Korean palace complex, the heon is a separate building from the main palace that holds offices for high-level officials.  
> *Jindo – a hunting dog breed native to Korea.


	2. The Calligrapher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seungkwan receives his Hogwarts letter, and bonds with a friend that he might leave behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a lot of Korean words in this chapter. The descriptions will be at the end notes.
> 
> Please keep in mind that, in this AU, Korean magical society is very conservative and pureblood hierarchy exists. Some Korean terms have been adopted to distinguish between the pureblood ranking.

It was a pleasant spring afternoon in Jeju, the wind was not too strong and the heat of the sun is enough to warm Seungkwan as he works hard on his latest project. He sticks out a tongue as he patiently draws a huge circle in front of him and he becomes satisfied as soon as he closes it. He takes a step back, bringing the brush part up of his toy broomstick and planting it next to him. He surveys his handicraft and smiles when he sees the beautiful message in front of him, written elegantly on the black sands of Samyang coast.

“ **BOO SEUNGKWAN: BEST QUALITY** ,” he reads out loud, as he mentally gives himself a pat on the back. He’s been trying for days to recreate his calligraphy on a larger scale using his trusty toy broom and it is the first time he has gotten the sizing right and also the first time he had the depth of each letter carved just so. He is so satisfied with his artwork that he wonders if one of his noonas would allow him to extract the memory from his mind so he can deposit it in his personal pensieve; but his bright happiness at his super-scaled calligraphy dims a bit when he remembers he can’t do the extraction for himself.

“Ah, I swear, when I get that letter, the first thing I will do is get a wand so I can take my memories and finally organize my pensieve,” Seungkwan decides as he sits down on the beach, his legs stretched wide open before him and a now sandy toy broomstick lying beside him. He sighs a bit, enjoying the sounds of the waves against the shore despite the small drop of anxiety that he feels.

It has been three months since his 11th birthday and he has yet to receive his Hogwarts letter. Some days, when he is reminded of it, he gets scared. He gets scared that he’ll be passing his free days like this, making life-size calligraphy after one-on-one’s with tutors, not experiencing Quidditch and not making friends.

He doesn’t worry much about his education, father has told him so many times that as a _Seongol_ , he can have access to the best wizarding tutors around the world and he won’t need an invitation to Hogwarts to tell him he’s magical. Seungkwan believes him, because almost all the _Seongol_ Boos have skipped attending Hogwarts. His parents weren’t Hogwarts alumni since Hogwarts wasn’t around at that time and yet they still are one of the best, if not the best Ward Masters around East Asia. His noonas were the first _Seongol_ Boos that attended Hogwarts and he is not sure whether attending Hogwarts has affected their brains, but he does envy them for all the floo letters they get during summer breaks.

He remembers being three years old and wondering where his Jinseol noona was when she started Hogwarts, and then at four it was his Sojeong noona who left. They all seemed to have great adventures in Hogwarts when they sent him letters and various magical items. And although they’ve always told him that he’ll be their only prince Boo, he wonders how it feels like to get to be around other children apart from that Iksan _Jingol_ , Lee Chan.

“Ah that kid,” he mutters under his breath as he starts tracing random words on the sand with his fingers. The face of _Jingol_ Chan appears in the front of his mind and he suddenly feels annoyed. It’ll only be a week from now and that imp will appear again to ransack their family’s tangerine mazes. Just the thought of his precious tangerines that he painstakingly grew and made bug repelling and sweetening wards for, being touched by that so-called friend of his makes his blood boil.

Before he can make a mental note to look up a good ward trick to use on Chan for his next visit, he feels a slight breeze around him and hears a light, but familiar _gayageum_ * tune in the air.

“Oh, is it time for dinner?” Seungkwan starts, standing up and turning around to see his mother’s patronus amble towards him. He is surprised to see the silvery sika deer approaching him; typically, it would be his elf, BbubbuReul, that would remind him to go back home and that playtime is over. The patronus closes in on him and nudges his cheeks lovingly the way his mother usually does.

The deer’s mouth opens and it’s his mother’s voice ringing out. “Seungkwan-ah, you need to get home soon.”

There’s an urgent command to her voice and usually Seungkwan would take his time trekking back to the _Seongolboojeon*_ , but given the circumstance, he opts for a quicker transport. Since he is unable to fly his broom, he strikes his heel on the sand twice and calls for Bbubbureul.

A small, chubby thing of almost 3 feet appears with a pop before Seungkwan. Bbubbureul with his matching pink, canvas _galjungi*_ top and pants and Seungkwan’s old _hogeon*_ hat, bows deeply before squeaking out, “Yes, _Seongol_ Seungkwan?”

“Bbubbureul, please whoosh me to the jeon*,” Seungkwan pleads, he hates asking his elf to apparate him everywhere, but today is not a day to test his mother. “Mother says she wants me now, so please, please Reullie?”

Bbubbureul shakes his head at him and chastises him. “Ah _Seongol_ Seungkwan, what did you do again?”

Seungkwan shrugs in response. He doesn’t know why his mother had to send her patronus after him but it seems to be an important matter.

Bbubbureul tuts at Seungkwan, nevertheless, he holds out his hand for Seungkwan to take and within a moment, Seungkwan arrives under the eaves of the _jeon_ , Bbubbureul has swiped the dirty toy broomstick away from him and he starts his way to his mother’s study.

* * *

 _Seongol Mama_ Boo was busy reviewing the list of possible tutors for Seungkwan when the flames in the floo fire pit rose. It has been three months since Seungkwan’s 11th birthday passed, and though she doesn’t want to show her beloved son that the absence of a Hogwarts invitation has been worrying her, she can’t help but feel just a little bit disappointed in the unreliable delivery system of Hogwarts. When Jinseol and Sojeong turned 11, their Hogwarts letters came in a few days after. She expected Seungkwan’s letter to arrive a few days or maybe even a week after, but she’s been holding out for it ever since.

Don’t get her wrong, a Hogwarts education is not the only option for Seungkwan, after all, Hogwarts in Asia has only been around for 20 years, but she wants to provide her only son a chance to see the world beyond politicking _Seongols_ , ward mastery, the Magical Chambers and Jeju. A traitorous thought flashes in her mind, and as quickly as it comes, she squashes it. ‘No, Seungkwan is plenty powerful, he just hasn’t grown into it yet.’

As it is her habit to overthink, she racks her brain for instances when Seungkwan has displayed accidental magic and she finds herself stumped. With his sisters, there was plenty of time for mischief with various items in the jeon being influenced by the two girl’s chaotic magic. But with Seungkwan, she doesn’t think she’s seen him do magic so blatantly before which contrasts widely with his personality. She did find a lot of ward stones in the tangerine maze which she knows were definitely not the work of her husband or her daughters, but she sometimes wonders if the innate magic of the _Seongolboojeon_ has been empowering the ward stones that Seungkwan made to sweeten the oranges more.

She did not notice the floo come to life when a hanji scroll suddenly materializes in the emerald flames and dropping with a small thud on the floor. She looks up from her list and her eyes widen as it lays upon the hanji scroll with the familiar enamel crest, and suddenly, a weight is lifted from her chest. She gets up from her seat and takes the dropped scroll, cradling it gingerly in her hands. Her Seungkwan would be so happy; she feels as if she could cast the patronus over and over again.

So, she does just that. Three silver mists take on the shape of the familiar sika deer and with another wave of her wand she commands her family to come back home as she carefully pats her cheeks dry.

* * *

When Seungkwan arrives at her mother’s small study, he didn’t expect the full family to be there. He knew his Sojeong noona just finished school so it was expected for her to laze around the _jeon_ , but Jinseol noona was doing ward consultations today and he was sure his father was supposed to be in the Magical Chambers today as a High Clan seat holder so having them all here is surprising.

“A family meeting, mother?” he asks as soon as he takes his position as the youngest, bowing near the foot of the table. He rises up, walks around the table and give his mother a kiss on the cheeks first then proceeds to do the same for his father. He returns to his place at the foot of the table and sits down.

His mother clears her throat and with two taps of her wand on the table, the previously empty crystal bowl centerpiece now holds a ribbon-bound hanji scroll. Seungkwan doesn’t even bother with formalities as he grabs the scroll from the bowl and the familiar enamel crest feels significant in his 11 year-old hands. He unrolls it hurriedly and he doesn’t even read through the letter because he’s seen the phrase he’s been waiting for.

“Boo Seungkwan,” he reads, “We are pleased to inform you that you have a place…”

He doesn’t finish the letter, he looks at his sisters who are beaming at him with pride, his father who is grinning at him so widely, and his mother who is smiling softly at him; and suddenly his eyes are filled to the brim with unshed tears of relief, happiness, and validation. He bolts up from his seat, enamel crest tight in his fist as he shoots straight into his mother’s welcoming embrace.

He is an ugly crier. He bawls incoherently, he can barely recall himself whining to his mother about finally having the opportunity to make friends other than that Iksan Chan and he can hear his sisters tease him. But Seungkwan has never felt so light. This feeling is so much better than how he felt earlier when he finished his calligraphy project. It almost stops him from crying when he is reminded that he should ask his noona to extract memories of this day.

His cries soon die into hiccups under the comforting pats of his mother. He is hugged tightly and given to his sisters to coo over him, Sojeong noona conjuring a handkerchief as Jinseol noona wipes the tears away on his face. She playfully squeezes his cheeks and he yelps at her, flinching away from her pinching hands.

When his father clears his throat, effectively halting the silly tickles and squeeze fight they’re having, Seungkwan notices that the previously empty table is now decidedly not empty. There, on the middle of the table was something he thought he’d only have when he gets some remarkable grade in the near future.

“Is it mine?” he softly whispers to no one in particular as he eyes the item with childish longing.

A beautiful broomstick sat in the middle of the table. It was a finely crafted HallaBi, a broom which is exclusively made for the _Seongol_ Boos. All his life he has dreamed of receiving his very own HallaBi, and now, looking at the honey colored shaft of the broom, the golden accents that make it gleam warmly, the spherical end of the broom handle that was just aptly sized for it to look like one of those tangerines he grows under his care, and the dome like brush cap that was painted bronze marking it as signature HallaBi style; Seungkwan can’t help but feel a little bit more blessed.

The best part though, was the brush itself, it must be the softest and daintiest brush he’s ever seen on a HallaBi. It was white fibered, highly dense, and tapered just like his calligraphy paintbrush sets, and so unlike typical brooms with unruly twigs for brush. Seungkwan is almost afraid to touch the broom for fear that it may suddenly dematerialize. He has seen a dozen HallaBi’s in his life and while HallaBi’s are the symbol of _Seongol_ Boo and Jeju elegance in magical crafts, he is pretty sure that this HallaBi is unsurpassed, not even his sisters’ or his parents’ brooms can compete against his.

He lays a hand on his very own HallaBi and nearly cries again with the explosion of pride that he feels in his chest. This time, it feels real. All his life he has been surrounded by magic and magical items, but there has never been a thing that called to his magic as strongly as this broom did. He briefly thinks of how he would be feeling when he finally gets his own wand, and concludes that he would probably get blown out of this world when he gets that wand.

“We had that made as soon as you turned 11,” the voice of Seungkwan’s father breaks into his thoughts. Seungkwan looks at him in surprise, his sisters didn’t receive their own HallaBi’s until they were in their 2nd or 3rd year of schooling, and to find out that his has been commissioned even before he’s asked for it is overwhelming. “You’ve always complained about your toy brooms, and we’ve seen you use them for your calligraphy.”

“That’s why we had to ask the _Seongol_ Lee to make it very special for our baby,” his mother explained. “The brush is Hokkaido wolf and pineapple fibre; _Seongol_ Lee said it’d be a perfect showcase broom.”

Seungkwan moves to hug his parents. “Mama, Papa, I love you so much, thank you for this broom.” He doesn’t understand if there’s a specific reason why the broom was made that way, but he can’t complain. Maybe he’ll find out in the future why, or maybe not. For now, he just feels ecstatic and renewed, as if all the years of struggling to make a toy broom work has been brushed away by this HallaBi.

And even if Seungkwan does not say anything to betray the release of anxiety that he feels, his parents know just how much it means to him.

* * *

It was another warm spring day and Seungkwan is back on the black sands of Samyang beach. He is staring hard at his levitating broom which was inches away from the sand, the brush of the broomstick was facing down, poised to drive into the sand at any given moment. Seungkwan has been practicing this for days. Instead of practicing flying on his brand new HallaBi, he has been trying to see whether he could control his broom well enough even from a distance. He thought it should be as easy as riding a broom, but given the fact that he’s never really bothered to learn how to ride a broom, he is not surprised that he’s struggling.

“Hyung!”

The broom drops to the ground as soon as Seungkwan’s concentration is broken by a familiar pop and a most unwelcome screech. He makes his way to his dropped broom and ignores the repeating cries of hyung as he picks up his now dusty HallaBi and frowns. He turns around to address the annoying boy that made him break his concentration as another pop sounds off, it must be Bbubbureul whooshing off back to the _jeon_.

“Yah it’s _Seongol_ Seungkwan hyung to you, not just hyung!” he says, narrowing his eyes at the new arrival. “Ahh this kid. Learn to respect your elders really, people would think you’re an uneducated _Jingol_ , Lee Chan.”

Chan of the _Jingol_ Lee’s of Iksan only rolls his eyes. He knows that Seungkwan doesn’t really mean to flaunt his rank to him and it’s always been an ongoing joke between them since they started playing together. “Ah seriously hyung you are too much. Just because you got your Hogwarts letter, you’re acting high and mighty again.”

“Of course I am, that’s because I’m better than you at everything, Lee Chan, that’s why I’m high and mighty as you put it,” Seungkwan sniffs at him.

Chan snorts in response. “Yah _Seongol_ Boo Seungkwan! You may be older, but I tell you, you’ll stay just right here!” he says, mimicking touching the sand and dropping the hyung honorifi. As if adding insult to injury, he sticks out his tongue at him.

Seungkwan tightens his grip on his broomstick as Chan circles around him childishly. Seriously, he had half a mind to hit him with his HallaBi, but he decides that his broom is way too precious to touch an inch of that irritating imp Chan, so he settles for throwing sand at him instead. Chan ducks too late though, but fortunately, he doesn’t get a mouthful of sand even when he’s laughing hard. Seungkwan only huffs at him, and soon the two collapse into a giggling mess on the beach.

When they finally catch their breaths, Seungkwan turns to Chan who was sitting cross legged next to him, his HallaBi in between them. “You punk, what are you doing here? Kicked out again of _Jingoleedang_?”

“Even if I get kicked out of home, I won’t come to you,” Chan replies with fake snark. Seungkwan playfully shoves him and Chan gives him a cheeky smile.

“Seriously, I thought you were due next week?” Seungkwan queries. Don’t get him wrong, it’s sometimes nice to have Chan around, but he didn’t expect the visit to be this early.

“Ah, well, I’m here just to congratulate you, hyung,” Chan mutters, a bit annoyed and embarassed at his hyung’s prying.

Seungkwan shakes his head in amusement and he forcefully pulls the younger to him, pinning Chan in a headlock as Seungkwan purposefully messes up Chan’s hair. “You punk!”

“Hyung!” Chan protests, trying his best to escape Seungkwan. “You’re messing up my hair!”

Seungkwan stops, but doesn’t let Chan off. After wriggling around for a bit, Chan finally gets loose and he straightens up next to Seungkwan, he childishly pinches Seungkwan's arm just to spite him. Seungkwan hisses and shoots him a glare, but he softens as if realizing something.

“Ah, you’ll miss me,” Seungkwan starts, pointing a finger to Chan's chubby cheeks. “You’ll be on your own, with no hyung to guide you once I start school in September,” he looks at Chan smugly.

“Hyung, you’re something else,” Chan responds haughtily, elbowing Seungkwan on his side. “You'll miss me, not the other way around!"

Seungkwan laughs and finally admits defeat. “Fine, fine, I’ll miss having to scold you and look after you like a baby sitter! But, it will be 10 months only! Don’t miss me too much.”

“As if,” Chan responds defiantly. “Besides, when I come to Hogwarts, I’ll make sure I will make higher grades than you! I’ll ask my tutors here a lot so I can beat you!”

Seungkwan snorts. “Yeah, yeah you do that. I’ll even floo you letters, so you know what we’re studying you punk.”

Chan chooses to be quiet and figures he’ll let his hyung have this. It is true after all, maybe there will be a small part of him that will miss his hyung once he is away in school, but he'll never say it out loud. _Seongol_ Boo Seungkwan already has a huge enough head of his own without Chan's help.

When Seugkwan stands up and takes his broom with him, Chan only follows him with a questioning gaze. He watches Seungkwan grip the broomstick and turn it so the brush points down. With a small sweep, Seungkwan starts drawing things on the black sand with his broom. At this point, Chan is intrigued with what Seungkwan was trying to do, so he stands up and jogs to Seungkwan.

“You should write: Lee Chan, future of _Jingols_ next,” Chan says as he follows Seungkwan and tries to read over his shoulder. Seungkwan only bleats at him and continues on. A few minutes and a few feet later, the two step back to observe Seungkwan’s work. Deep carved letters of black sand proudly display, **Boo Seungkwan : Best Quality** , and **Lee Chan : What Future?**

Chan is about to complain at Seungkwan when a shimmer catches his eye. From the top, some three feet away from them, white sand starts to appear against the black sand, filling out the letters that Seungkwan traced over with his broom. Chan can only drop his jaw in disbelief, he doesn’t think he’s heard Seungkwan mutter any spell, but here it was.

“Hyung, what did you do?”

Seungkwan looks at him with a half smirk and mutters one word.

“Magic.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seongol and Jingol, are made up pureblood ranks adopted from the Silla Dynasty Bone-Rank system.  
> Gayageum , a traditional Korean string instrument that is similar to a zither.  
> Galjungi , a plain hanbok coat and pants worn by Jeju natives that is typically known for their very lose fit and are used for working in fields.  
> Hogeon, a traditional headgear typically worn by male toddlers, which is characterized by a black pointed cap with long ear flaps and back flaps and painted with tiger gaze and stripes.  
> Jeon, the main building in a Korean palace complex.
> 
> Seongolboojeon and Jingoleedang , naming convention for magical homes where the combination of rank, last name and appropriate housing rank are combined.


	3. Fabrics and Fibers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minghao needs help from a friend in starting his very own path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set in China where magical culture is heavily traditional and the past and long magical lines are highly revered. Some Chinese terms will be explained within the text, others will be noted after the chapter. I've taken a lot of liberty in creating this world of Magical China which may have influences of MDZS.
> 
> And we also see more magical characters here.

Anyone of Xu Minghao’s age might be bored of what he is doing now but to this 11 year old, this is absolutely enthralling.It was the middle of April, just a few months after his birthday and the summer sun is awfully inviting but Minghao was inside his study, focusing on his summer assignment.

Before him are various square plots of different fabrics with a multitude of colors, patterns and designs spread on a dark mahogany table. He picks a blood colored silk square in the middle with a wine red embroidery bearing the coat of _Huo_ Xu’s, an ox emerging out of a fire, repeated tightly in the small piece. 

Deft fingers move in rapid succession writing the Chinese character for fire and with a whispered _Huǒ_ the scrap of silk is immediately engulfed in a blaze. The tongues of flame lap at the silk square but Minghao is amazed to find it completely unscathed. There is no burning smell and the red silk flaps gracefully, as if riding the flames that Minghao has conjured. 

With a snap of his fingers, the fire dies down and the fabric square lands on Minghao’s waiting open hand. The fabric is warm to touch and upon closer inspection, he sees no change from its previous unburned state. He stretches it and the embroidery gives some yield, but otherwise, there’s no damage. Minghao wonders how his mother has made this fabric so fire resistant. _Did the magic lay in the embroidery or was it something else?_

He picks up another fabric square. This time it was a powder blue silk, still embroidered with the coat of _Huo_ Xu’s, but the thread is in stone blue and a little less tightly packed. He does another flame spell and hopes that this blue square would fare better than all his previous iterations. 

It doesn’t.

The blue silk immediately catches fire and smoke curls from the fabric. Minghao snaps his fingers with a frown, feeling a pang of disappointment overcome him as he watches the flames subside. The silk square falls pathetically on the table. It was slightly better than his other attempts but the patches where the flames licked through it were still charred and black. 

This is what Minghao has been tasked by his jie to create for the past two weeks. As an heir to the Xu’s magical craft of wardrobe making, embroidery and portraiture, his jie and parents have always emphasized that one day, he’ll be the one designing and innovating wizarding fashion and art. That’s why as soon as he hit his 7th year, his jie has been assigning him small lessons about magical art and embroidery alongside his usual lessons of Chinese elemental spells. In his four years of tutelage under his jie, he has never found anything as remotely challenging as protecting a fabric from damage.

“ _Hao da_ ,” his jie would always start with an affectionate nickname if she wanted to teach him something he was supposed to carry forever. “Most people think what we are only doing fancy designs, but their small minds do not realise that clothes are our last line of defense for our human bodies. Our clothes can be both our protection and our weapons, and it is within us to fully realise what we can do. Always remember that a Xu’s robes are more than just fabrics and fibers.”

In four years, he has learned of simple and basic wardrobe protection spells. Water damage was the first elemental damage he had to learn to protect against. According to his sister, water was the easiest to master, but it took him four years to even advance to another element, and this time it was fire. He wonders how many years it would take him, because even the simplest and most elementary fire spell is something he couldn’t even take on. 

He leaves the fabric scraps on his table and turns to look for his embroidery needle. There’s no need to sulk over failed experiments, Minghao thinks, he has been doing this for four years, what’s another trial?

* * *

Minghao is in the middle of sewing on a smaller, more compact Xu emblem on a fresh piece of silk square when a knock on the doors of his private study breaks his concentration. 

“Enter,” he says as he puts down his things. 

The heavy oak doors open and in strides one of his mother’s ladies in waiting, Jie Qing, clad in a purple _qipao_. She looks plain in comparison to Minghao who was dressed majestically in his daily _changfu_ and the Huo Xu’s house colors of iris purple and hunter green. “Young Master Hao, your mother requests your presence in the Court of Horns.”

* * *

 _Huángniú_ _Kòngdì_ , or Steer Clearing, is one of the bigger castles in the Dongbei area. The castle itself is hidden in the depths of the Qianshan mountains and boasts of amazing cave structures. Most people would think it was eternally dark within the castle, but magic has its ways of harvesting sunlight. The light wood in the furnishings and the calming colors of the Xu’s make the castle more hospitable and brighter than expected. 

The Steer Clearing houses the Huo Xu’s, the most prominent wizarding fashion and arts family in Asia. No magical or non-magical beings can get inside the Steer Clearing without the express consent of the Xu family head so Minghao is suitably surprised when he comes across a group of foreigners, led by a tall, Arabic, black, lady. 

The lady is clothed in a steel colored robe with dragon seals embroidered in butterscotch and cornflower, but unlike traditional Chinese embroidery, there is something distinctly arabic in the design of the seals. The lady and her entourage stops and Jie Qing gives a bow, Minghao soon follows suit.

“ _Sheikha_ Noor,” Jie Qing announces. 

The _shiekha_ bows her head in acknowledgement of the greeting and smiles genially at them. She steps ahead and moves closer to the pair. 

“This must be our Young Master Xu,” Sheikha Noor says in accented Mandarin. Minghao nods shyly, fully recognizing that this lady must be one of the higher ranked members of the _Amit_ that has been recently visiting the castle. If his jie was here, he would’ve immediately received a stinging hex for mistaking his shyness as impertinence.

 _Sheikha_ Noor waves her hand and a short, thin silver cane with an ornate black head of a dragon materialises out of thin air. She twirls the cane twice and from behind her, a mosaic lamp made of gold frame and purple and green stained glass appears floating behind her. She gestures for a member of her entourage to take the lamp. 

“I heard congratulations are in order, Young Master Xu. Please take this Moroccan lamp as a sign of our felicitations.”

Jie Qing receives the lamp on behalf of Minghao, and Minghao was puzzled about the what she meant by extending her congratulations, but like any other young boy, he is excited for the new toy. He almost wants to turn away from whatever his mother has called him to court for, just so he can observe the beautiful lamp, but it disappears quickly in Jie Qing’s hands, presumably to appear in Minghao’s room later.

“Thank you _Shiekha_ Noor,” Minghao says with a bow. “I hope you have found Steer Clearing to your liking.”

“The pleasure is all ours, Young Master Xu. Unfortunately, we cannot impose on your hospitality any longer and we must be on our way or we will miss our travels,” the _Sheikha_ explains gracefully, and Minghao knows a dismissal when he hears one. The _Sheikha_ shoots him one last smile and with a final bow her and her entire entourage turns to head for the castle gates. 

Minghao watches them leave in a flurry of butterscotch and cornflower robes and he vows, one day, he will be part of that elegant guild, but today is not the day because his mother has called for him.

* * *

The Court of Horns is where the Xu patriarch and matriarch hold their formal meetings with dignitaries and foreign gentries. Even if Minghao is part of the main Xu branch and is the sole son of the Xu patriarch, he does not get enough opportunities to witness the Court of Horns in celebratory trimmings fit for welcoming foreign delegates. The Arabic _Amit_ delegates, having just left the castle, would surely have enjoyed such ornamentation.

When the doors to the Court of Horns open, the place is bathed in sunlight that perfectly bounce off the golden dragon seals, and Xu emblems displayed on flags of iris and hunter. As if leaving a present for the Xu’s the court is also littered with small Moroccan lamps that are similar to what Minghao received, albeit a little less ornate.

Minghao catches his parents in the middle of a deep discussion as he approaches the Grand Table. He folds his hands on top of his belly and takes a deep bow in front of his parents. “Father, mother, you’ve called.”

“ _Hao da_ ,” his mother, Xu Mei Hui, looks eternally beautiful even if she is stressed, but she visibly brightens upon seeing her only son. “Come here please.”

Xu Zhi Qiang, Minghao’s father, makes a place for his son and pats the bench space between them. “Come on, son.”

Minghao walks up to them and even if he is 11 years old and too tall for his age, his father grabs him from his waist to sit him on top of the Grand Table. 

“Your Hogwarts letter came today, _Hao da_ ,” she begins as she taps a rolled scroll against the table, Minghao eyes it critically and assumes it is the mentioned letter . “As per our tradition, you do not have to go to Hogwarts.” 

“That’s right, your jie had no need for this kind of education. Our tutelage alone have already made her successful in the Ancient Courts,” his father continues, turning Minghao to face him. “Your sister has told me that you’ve been progressing on your arts and fashion education, and that you’ve succeeded in mastering basic and intermediate water protection, it won’t be too long until you can get started crafting garments.”

“Yes father, sister has now permitted me to start on fire protection,” Minghao replies with pride in his voice. “Jie told me to start with silk protection and basic fire spells, then she said I can move on to other materials.”

“That’s good then, _Hao da_. Soon enough, you will be able to move on to other elements and you will be able to unlock the full text of the Xu scrolls.”

“I know mother, I’m excited about it. I can’t wait to see what is in our family scrolls.”

“With focused teaching of your jie, and private tutors for other disciplines, I am sure you will be recognised as an accomplished designer in even less than five years,” his mother surmises, she turns to his husband. “Isn’t a Hogwarts education required for seven years, my lord?”

“Yes, my lady. To be honest, I don’t understand why our peers across Asia are clamoring to attend Hogwarts. It’s like they have forgotten how valuable each wizarding family’s dedicated arts are. It is appalling how they chase so many of the techniques touted by non-magical colonizers and think them better.”

“You have a point, my lord, it seems people have forgotten where they come from nowadays,” she hums in response. “In any case, Hao da, read the letter, if you want.”

She hands the scroll over to Minghao who rolls the unfamiliar paper in his hands. The school crest dangling from the scroll feels cold in between his palms and he wonders if there really is anything to a Hogwarts education.

Among other _Fuza Shis,_ it was only Wen Junhui of the Shenzen _Zi_ Wen's that went to Hogwarts. The higher you were up in the _Fuza Shi_ ranks, the lesser the need for attending Hogwarts. Most higher _Fuza Shi_ families prefer to educate their own and if they wanted to learn about other crafts, they would visit other families for months of immersion in other arts. It was how education in magical China has always been done, even back when it was called cultivation and cultivator clans were always fighting over who is superior.

Minghao is taken out from his reverie when his mother clear her throat. He looks up at her expectantly.

" _Hao da_ , whatever it is that you think about this Hogwarts invite, you should bear in mind that your priority will always be to the family craft."

Minghao nods earnestly in response. "Yes, mama."

She smiles at him, satisfied with his answer. Minghao feels his father's hand fall on his shoulder and he turns to face him.

"Very good _Hao da_ , you may go back to your studies. We will call you later for dinner," his father intones. 

With a final nod, Minghao climbs down the Grand Table and bows before bidding his parents goodbye.

* * *

As soon as Minghao returns to his study, he sits down to pen a letter to Wen Junhui, one of his oldest and closest friends. He takes his own stationery with his signature at the bottom and begins to write.

To Wen Junhui of the _Zi_ Wen's

From the desk of Xu Minghao of the _Huo_ Hao's

Jun-ge, 

How are you? I hope you're doing well. I am sorry for not getting back to your previous letter. I got lost in jie's tasks again and forgot that I haven't responded. Since it was a good two days back, I can't remember what you wrote about so I won't be addressing any of your points in this letter. But, I am writing this letter to ask for your advice. I recently received my Hogwarts invitation and would like your help in planning a way to convince my parents that Hogwarts is not so bad?

Your better and best friend,

Hao

PS: I will read your letter again later and respond accordingly.

Minghao rolls the lavender stationery and pops it into a hunter green glass tube with the Xu family seal. He opens a door in the tubular shaft that runs along all desks in the Steer Clearing and from it jumps the emerald flames of the floo network. 

“Mangrove Drop, _Zi_ Wen Junhui,” Minghao intoned once the flame stilled, he tosses the glass tube containing the scroll inside the shaft. 

Minghao watches the glass tube disappear into the floo network and hopes that Jun-ge responds immediately.

* * *

Jun is usually in Shenzhen by the time term ends, but this year, he was able to convince his parents to stay a little bit longer in Korea. They allowed him, provided that Jun will be able to find a place to stay in for the two weeks that he’s asked for. 

The first week out of Hogwarts, Jun stayed with Jeonghan in the _Jingolyoondang_. The _Jingolyoondang_ was a large modern manor situated in the middle of a private park, it stands in contrast to its neighbouring Suwon Hwaseong fortress that is distinctly traditional in its design, so unlike what most Korean purebloods prefer in their places of residence. 

Joshua wasn’t able to hang out with them a lot, just because his parents missed him so, but the Yoons were extremely hospitable towards Jun and Jeonghan was even able to show him some of the newer magical broomsticks that the Yoons have been working on. Naturally, he was inspired to take some of those lessons and apply it to their own broom-making. 

The second week out of Hogwarts was spent in Joshua’s place. For Jun who has never been in a household that’s basically not an equivalent of a magical castle or manor, being in the middle of non-magical Seoul amongst tall impressive buildings of steel and glass is such an adventure for him, and not just him, it must be an adventure for Jeonghan too who was as pureblooded as purebloods go, stuck in the _Jingolyoondang_ in Hwasong. 

Joshua lived in the middle of Gangnam district, in an apartment so high up that had Jeonghan teasing Shua of his dislike of flying.

“Ya, Shua, if you live this high up, why in Merlin’s name do you still dislike flying?” Jeonghan asked as soon as he saw the view from the Hong’s balcony. 

Jun follows him outside and he gasps at how high up they are. There are really large castles back in Shenzen, but none of those castles would probably reach Shua's 45th floor home of almost 200m into the sky. "Gods, Shua, Hannie's right. This is even higher than a typical quidditch match."

"You're both idiots," Joshua calls out from his room. "It's not like I zoom out of my balcony every time for me to get used at hurtling myself at higher speeds more than 5m off the ground. Just come in here and unpack your stuff. I'm not unpacking shit for you like your house elves."

That was two days ago, now Jun is relaxing on Shua’s bed, listening to Shua’s iPhone thingy while the other two were absorbed in watching a drama about ancient magical China from what Shua calls a TV. The drama was about as realistic as the bedtime stories his parents and aunties would often tell him since he was a kid so he did not bother watching along them, but whatever, Shua and Hannie seem very much entranced so he chose to occupy himself in other ways instead. He was busy browsing a collection of KPOP music that Shua has when Shua's mother knocks and opens the bedroom door. 

Jun shoots up immediately when he sees her carrying a heavy loaded tray full of food he isn't familiar with. The movement causes Shua and Hannie to look up from the TV screen and the two moves to help Shua's mother and Jun with the food.

"Auntie, you didn't have to prepare so much food. It must have taken you such a long time to do this. All that may have inconvenienced you," Jeonghan sheepishly mutters as he watches Jun and Shua navigate the heavy tray to Shua's study table.

"No, Jeonghan, Jun, don't worry about it. I'm glad to prepare all these snacks for you," she assured them. "Jisoo, make sure your friends get to try these snacks."

Jun was already eyeing the snacks on the tray. All of them are in little plastic pouches of different colors. Most of them he's not familiar with and he wonders if they're any different to non-magical snacks he's sneaked in to Mangrove Drop back in Shenzen. Shua picks a stout bottle filled with pink milky liquid inside it, and throws it to Jeonghan. 

Shua's mother tsks in disapproval and Hannie looks offended for having been hit with a bottle, but Shua is completely over it even when he apologizes.

"Sorry, ma, Hannie," he says, but he follows it with throwing a straw in Jeonghan's direction which Hannie successfully catches. 

"Jisoo," his mother hisses and Jun has to hold in a laugh when Shua only responds with a wide smile to his mother and two fingers in a V sign raised up to his eyes. She only shakes her head at them. 

"By the way, Junhui, this came through our floo from your parents," she says as she hands him a green, glass vial.

Jun recieves it gracefully, if he was surprised at receiving such a secured letter, he doesn't show it. "Thank you Mrs. Hong."

"Thanks auntie."

"Thanks ma."

She easily dismisses them with a wave, and once she's out of the room, Shua and Han immediately crowd him.

"What's that?" Hannie asks, eyeing the dark green bottle. He can see something rolled up inside it, but surely it couldn't be a letter. Floo networks do not burn up scrolls, or any other packages, there's no need to protect letters that way. He doesn't know much about magical China and the customs where Jun is from, but surely, floo networks work the same way.

Shua rolls his eyes at the question, vaguely reminded of letters in bottles adrift in the ocean. "It's a letter, Hannie, keep up."

"Obviously, I meant a general what. Besides, aren't you curious, I've never seen a letter sent in a bottle like this before," Hannie shoots back. Jun can see the wheels in Hannie's head turning and before Shua can even continue the typical bickering between him and Hannie, Jun cuts in.

"It's an urgent letter from my friend. I think he needs my help, but this is sealed so I'm the only one who can read this."

"Help?" Shua echoes back.

"You're the only one who can and will be able to read this?" Hannie just looks even more intrigued.

Jun shrugs in response, he carefully holds the hunter green bottle. The glass vial had a matching green glass stopper formed in a set of bull's horns, a signature of the Xu's. In all his letters with Minghao, his friend has never sent a secured message, they were always in drafting quality rice paper, or whatever piece of parchment scrap Minghao gets his hand on, but not this secrecy vellum that's part of all _Fuza Shi's_ desks for secure correspondence. The fact that it was even sent in the traditional messenger vial just makes Jun all the more curious about what this letter could contain. _There must be something wrong, or if not, he may need my help._

"I guess, we'll know once I read this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuza Shi - purebloods in Chinese Magical World, literally translates to long history, meaning that this certain family has a long history of magic in their bloods.  
> Huo - 2nd noble rank in the Fuza Shis.  
> Zi - 4th noble rank in the Fuza Shis.  
> Sheikha - female member of ruling families in Arabic countries.  
> Qipao - traditional Chinese dress worn by females. It is simply constructed and does not have layers but it can have detailed embroidery if required.  
> Changfu - traditional Chinese clothing worn by males in Ancient times especially by those who live or work in royal courts. It is made up of long outer gown, long-sleeved tops, and flowing pants. Everything is hidden under the gown so the tops and pants can be of a modern cut.
> 
> Initially, I wanted to show what Jun, Joshua and Jeonghan would do to help Minghao convince his parents to let him attend Hogwarts, but I figured this would not be relevant yet at this time.
> 
> Minghao makes up the last of this year's first years. I am not going by their birth years, but by their actual ages once September hits so that's why we have the first years as Chwe Hansol, Boo Seungkwan and Xu Minghao.


	4. The Owls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hansol makes a decision and magic begins to infuse their lives plus Joshua is off to get himself a little brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is sort of a filler chapter. I have initially written this chapter to contain their shopping experience but it got too long and I had to trim things. Very light, but it may or may not contain clues to the future.

Hansol closed The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and buried himself under the blankets. What a way to end the book, he thinks as he stares absentmindedly at his ceiling. What if magic was like that? What if he goes to this magic school and finds out that nothing changes in the world when he’s back to normal life? He’ll change for sure, just like the Pevensies did, maturing with the knowledge of lives lived unknown by others, but when the time comes and he has to go back to his normal life, one without whispers of magic, would he be back again as a kid? 

Hansol shoots out of his bed and shakes his head. It’s too late in the afternoon to be thinking like this. It’s been 2 months since Professor Kim Heechul visited and dropped his invitation and until now, he has been postponing his decision for enrolling in Hogwarts. His parents, thankfully do not rush him, claiming that whatever he decides, his home-schooling could still continue, albeit at a much more manageable and slower pace if he does decide to go to Hogwarts. 

He looks at his desk and as if he could see through the paneling of the desk, the image of the scroll and the enamel crest is clearly branded on his brain. Mildly hypnotized, he gets up from his bed and makes his way to his desk. He pulls the drawer open carefully and his right hand finds the Hogwarts enamel crest. He flips it thrice and it doesn’t surprise him when it grows bigger on his hands, nearly covering his palm. He turns it over on its back, and there it was, written in roman letters, Chwe Hansol Vernon, First Year.

“Looks like I’m going to Hogwarts then,” he murmurs as his fingers go over his embossed name on the Hogwarts badge.

* * *

A few hours later, Hansol is absorbed in coloring in geometrical animal patterns that his mother gave when he hears a tapping sound on his window. The only thing that comes to Hansol’s mind is that they’re living on the 36th floor, and there’s no tree, no pebble that can reach his window so it is a bit odd to hear the continuous taps. When the tapping does not subside, Hansol begrudgingly gets out of bed and abandons the coloring book to peer at the window.

“What the heckie?” he blurts out as soon as he sees what was tapping on the window. 

It was a large, black, horned owl, and Hansol is sure that it would be more intimidating if a small hanji scroll was not tied around its neck. He immediately opens his window and the huge owl swoops over to his desk so quickly, he had to take a step back.

The owl lands gracefully despite its size and looks at Hansol as if daring him to come closer. Now up close, Hansol can admit to feeling a little scared of having a huge predatory animal in his room. His mind flashes an image of a bald eagle dive bombing for fish and he finds it so ridiculous, it almost takes away the trepidation he feels. He is shaken into action when the owl caws at him and bares its neck. Soon, Hansol finds himself stepping into the owl’s pecking range and untying the hanji scroll from the owl’s neck. The owl, seemingly understanding that its task is done, bows its little head once and proceeds to fly out of Hansol’s room and onto the setting sun.

The small hanji scroll is not unlike the scroll he received for the Hogwarts acceptance letter, and when Hansol flips it twice, he’s not surprised to find it enlarging in his hands. In its normal size, the scroll is thicker and has more sheets in it. He marvels at the fact that without the decreasing charm, or maybe it was a spell, the owl wouldn’t have been able to carry it from wherever it came from. 

He unties the leather strip and unravels the scroll to reveal 3 different sheets of hanji. The first one contained a short acknowledgement, he scanned it briefly and seeing no other information on it, he set it aside and moved on to the other two sheets which seemed longer and had more interesting content.

The second scroll looked like a list of things he needed for school so he read through it first. 

> **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – Asia**
> 
> List of Requirements for First Year Students
> 
> UNIFORMS
> 
> 1) Three sets of plain work robes (black);
> 
> 2) Four sets of white button ups;
> 
> 3) Three sets of black pants for males, or black knee-length skirts for females;
> 
> 4) Two ties in house colors;
> 
> 5) One set of winter robes; and
> 
> 6) One set of hanbok (black pants with jacket and vest in house colors).
> 
> BOOK SETS
> 
>   *     * The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) International Edition – Miranda Goshawk
>     * An Introduction to Asian Rituals, Incantations and Spells (Grade 1) – Kim Ryeowook, Cho Kyuhyun and Choi Sooyoung
>     * A Comprehensive World History of Magic – Percy Ignatius Weasley 
>     * Magical History of Asia – Tai Ning Kai, Hwang Mi Rae, and Niamh de la Fuente
>     * Magical Theory – Adalbert Waffling 
>     * A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration – Asian Edition – Kwon Boa, Nickhun Horvejkul and Horikita Maki
>     * A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration – International Edition – Emeric Switch
>     * One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi – Phyllida Spore
>     * Magical Drafts and Potions – Arsenius Jigger
>     * Asia’s Apothecary – Kim Heechul
>     * Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Newt Scamander
>     * Defensive and Combative Techniques in Magic – Primary Level – Jung Yunho and Matsumoto Jun
> 

> 
> EQUIPMENT
> 
>   *     * 1 wand
>     * 1 23 oz cauldron, and 1 43 oz cauldron (pewter or other non-reactive metals) 
>     * 1 dozen glass vials with stoppers
>     * 1 standard telescope
>     * 1 set of scales
> 

> 
> _ Students may also bring their familiars provided that those non-domesticated species are registered with the Korean Magical Animal Registry. _
> 
> _ Students may also bring their brooms and/or carpets. _

“Brooms? Carpets?” Hansol wondered aloud. He quickly shuffled out of his room, taking the scrolls with him as he looked for his parents. 

“Ma? Pa?” Hansol calls out as he pads through every room in their flat. He checks the kitchen, bathrooms, Hangyeol’s room, and finally their bedroom. He closes the door disappointedly when he finds the master’s bedroom empty because neither of his parents seem to be in the house. He briefly wonders if he has been alone the whole time he was reading and how it is so that he hasn’t noticed them leave. 

A light bulb goes on his head and he remembers the other flat that his parents use as their studio and he quickly slips on his now turtle slippers and makes a dash for the 24th floor art studio. He doesn’t bother with knocking and just keys in the passcode to his parents’ workplace. As soon as he hears the soft beep of the lock deactivating, he zooms past practice easels, dried up paint cans, and various molds and casts of body parts, calling out to his ma. He finds his mother with a frown adorning her face as she examines the easel in front of her. His dad is nowhere to be found and Hansol figures his dad is just out on a break or an errand, could be a mix of both. 

“Ma!” Hansol exclaims as he walks around the easel and pokes his mother on her side.

“Oh! Hansol? What is it?” she asks, moving away from examining a particular red stroke on her painting and turns around to face him. 

Hansol takes a thoughtful look at his mother’s painting and scrunches his nose distractedly. The painting looks like that of a golden lion with a red mane and he thinks it’s weirdly striking but at the same time he is reminded of Aslan. The face of the lion was very stoic, he couldn’t tell what his mother’s painting was trying to show as an emotion but everything about the lion felt powerful and regal. 

“Is that Aslan?” he points out to the drying painting that his mother is trying to fix.

“No, that’s just something that came to mind.”

“Ooh, it reminds me of Aslan, you know, from the book you gave me…so this is not a commission?” 

“Nope,” she says, popping the p. “It’s something I dreamt about, maybe a few weeks back, I had this vivid dream of a red lion and a gold honey badger.”

“Woah, really ma? So did you paint the badger too?” he asks, his eyes looking around the studio to look for an easel with that golden badger. He doesn’t find any but even before he turns to walk away from his mother in search of the missing badger, she gestures to her left and finally Hansol sees the badger.

It was not a painting. It was a sculpture. Well, it was a raw, unpolished, yellowish-clay sculpture of a badger coming out of its sett. Hansol approached it slowly, careful not to knock anything in the way lest some sort of misfortune happens and affects it. 

“Did dad make this?” He is tempted to touch and feel the sculpted badger, something is tugging at him to get a closer look and a better understanding. His dad is a sculptor, but Hansol has never seen him work on something so realistic. Most of the time, his dad makes what his mom likes to call postmodern, whatever that means to them. It was usually his mother that would create more real-life images, but he was still mesmerized. The badger looks friendly, even if it was a bit scared, a startling contrast to his mother’s painting of the confident lion.

“Yeah, he said he just got inspired to make a badger. He’s actually out looking for a varnish that would make it golden. I find it weird though,” she follows after him and stands a little bit behind him, giving the sculpture a questioning stare.

“Why ma?” he asks, his admiration of the unfinished sculpture cut short at his mother’s musings. 

“I haven’t told him of my dream. It’s odd, that we are both doing something I’ve dreamed about,” she says while she rubs her hands up and down her arms, as if getting rid of a chill.

Hansol only shrugs at her, not really understanding why his mom finds it unsettling. “Maybe he also dreamt about it? I don’t know, but these are both cool. It’s the first time I’ve seen Pa do something like this.”

“Uhuh, maybe I am just overthinking it,” she moves, going back to her abandoned work and sits down on her stool.

Hansol goes back to her, the draw of the painting and the sculpture fading away as soon as her mother dismisses it. He watches her paint stained hands hovering on her chin and he has to bite back a laugh when he spots the transfer of red and brown paint right below her lower lip. It’s only then he remembers that he actually came looking for her because of the letter rolled tightly in his left hand, and the badge secured in his right hand.

“By the way, Ma,” his mother looks up at him with a hum and he thrusts his hands at her, unfurling to reveal the two items. “I’m going to Hogwarts.”

* * *

Joshua receives this term's enrollment package long after Jun and Jeonghan have left his place. He's drying his hair with a towel while stepping out of his bathroom when he spots an owl outside. The brown barn owl rented by his father patiently waits on the ledge of his balcony and seems to be content to groom himself and when he opens the door to his balcony, the owl immediately flies over to him.

"Hi Oh-One-Seven," he calls out as he holds his arm up for the owl to land on. "Hope you've got a decent rest now that you're not flying to Busan on a weekly basis."

The owl, named Oh-One-Seven as per the Owl Rental ID, chirps at him in response as if confirming his assumption. It shifts a bit lightly, baring the familiar hanji scroll for Joshua to take.

Joshua removes the proffered scroll using only his right hand with ease lent to him by years of practice. In an instant, he can tell that the package he has received is different from those of the other terms especially since this term's scroll seems to be as thick as the scroll he received when he was just starting at Hogwarts. 

"Yikes,that must have been some heavy flying for you," he coos at Oh-One-Seven who has gone back to grooming. 

He tosses the scrolls onto his bed carelessly and they land with a soft thud. Arm still serving as a perch for the owl, he shuffles around the room for a bag of owl treats, and feeds Oh-One-Seven. After finishing its treat, the owl stands at attention and cocks its head to its side as if waiting for an instruction. 

"Come back again in two days, huh. It looks like you'll need a response from me anyway!"

With a gentle bop to Oh-One-Seven's head, Joshua watches it fly out and into the sky.

* * *

Dinner at Hansol's was quite festive. If asked if there was any special occasion, he would respond with a shrug. Sometimes, his parents just like to prepare special food when they feel like it. Tonight, they had his father's glass noodles and his mother's beef broccoli. Sof was up in her high chair, picking off the broccolis in her bowl and his parents were discussing how their day went. Usually at this point, Hansol would tune them out, but he can't help but be drawn into their discussion of all the possible things they could buy tomorrow for their IKEA trip that could count for Hansol's school items.

"So we can get the broom, the glass items, and the quote-unquote cauldron from IKEA tomorrow," his mother lists out. "The rest, I'm not too sure."

"I can't believe that they even ask you to bring a broom to school," his pa could just not get over the fact that a broomstick made a school equipment list. "Unless magic is highly outdated that they have to resort to flying on broomsticks for travel, they might be making you clean up after yourselves. Which is totally revolutionary if you ask me, that would make responsible adults out of students."

His ma laughs indulgently at his pa's joke and Hansol has to restrain himself from rolling his eyes at the lame joke. 

"I'm sure,we'd be able to figure out the rest though, Hun. And if we can't there must be some way for Professor Kim to help us. Don't sweat it, Mel."

"By the way, Ma, Pa," he mumbled out after swallowing a mouthful of noodles. "I forgot to tell you something else."

"Oh? There's something else apart from wanting to go to a magic school?" His pa queries with a chuckle.

"Yep! I totally forgot that there's another letter in the package,” Hansol continues. “I guess I got distracted with all the equipment and book lists.”

“Well, bring it over after we finish dinner, or, better yet, bring it after we’re done loading the dishes, ok, Sol?”

With their plates loaded on the dishwasher and the dinner table wiped clean, Hansol rushes back to his room and returns with the third letter. He hands the scroll to his mother and climbs onto the kitchen countertop next to her. 

“Should have given it to your father,” she says as she unrolls it. “I’m assuming it’s in Korean.”

Hansol just shrugs in response. “Nah, ma, the other letters were in English, maybe this one is too?”

“Oh, you’re right,” she says with a whistle. She scans it briefly and hands it over to his dad who reads it shortly but Hansol cannot figure out what is happening between them.

“So?” Hansol asks impatiently. He hasn’t read the scroll before handing it over to his parents; ruthfully, he was more excited about the foreign, magical subjects and the intriguing requirements lists to pay attention to a third letter.

“Well,” his pa starts with a tapping on his knees as he lifts Hansol off the counter top. “It looks like we’ll be getting a crash course in magical life via a magical family host.” 

Hansol’s jaw drops and without thinking, he snatches the scroll from his father’s hands which makes them erupt in amused laughter. 

“Someone’s excited,” his ma comments lightly with a chuckle as she ushers Hansol to his room. 

Hansol lets himself be guided, eyes focused on the scroll’s contents. He barely registers his ma and pa giving him a goodnight kiss when he enters his room. His heart is drumming and his mind is escaping him. This weekend, he’s going to meet another magical kid! An actual magical student who studies magic and would know the meaning of all the words listed in his enrollment kit! 

Wow, he thinks as he rolls the scroll tight and places it on top of his desk, if only magic would allow him to speed time up so it can be the weekend already.

* * *

Joshua wakes up late in the afternoon. It was a Saturday, it was fine for him to wake up late, especially since he has been up late in the morning marathoning Studio Ghibli films. He would have preferred to sleep in a lot later but a noisy fluttering of wings inside his room wakes him up from his too short slumber. He rolls over to his side, sticking closer to the wall as he pulls up his duvet up to his head, resolutely ignoring the squawking and flapping devil.

It’s all for nought though, because Piggybank lands smack dab on top of his hair and Jisoo almost curses as he feels the Japanese scops owl intentionally dig its talon onto his scalp.

“Oww! Piggybank! Get the hell off!” he screams as he wiggles his head away from the devil-sent owl, but the owl is relentless and only proceeds to dig deeper into his hair. Joshua concedes defeat just this once and tears the duvet off him. Piggybank the owl, finally flies away from his scalp and lands a safe distance away from Joshua, on top of a teetering pile of mangas. 

“Is this what you want, huh?” Joshua angrily whirls around to face the bird. Piggybank’s orange eyes only stares at him mockingly. “I swear to Morgana you are as insufferable as your owner.”

Piggybank only caws at him and Joshua can’t help but narrow his eyes in response. “Remember this day, Piggybank. Today’s the day I swear I’ll feed you to the first basilisk I ever find.” 

Piggybank doesn’t seem to care for his threat because he finds himself fending off the swipes of an angry owl. “Ow fuck Piggy! That hurts!” 

Piggybank ceases his attack and as if deeming time spent with Joshua as an absolute waste, he impatiently shakes off a leg to remind Joshua that the owl was here for the sole purpose of delivering a letter. Joshua huffs and takes the rolled scroll off Piggybank and as soon as the message is delivered, Piggy flies straight out of Joshua’s window. 

Joshua can only shake his head and grumble as he watches the hell owl return back to its equally hellish owner. He looks at the obnoxiously, bright red scroll in his hand and prays that hopefully this time, the letter sent by Piggybank’s more favored dad (or as Joshua likes to call him, a full-time idiot) , was not written in gold ink.

When he unrolls the scroll, he is dismayed to find the contents of the letter written in garish gold. Joshua is certain that what is left of his soul just evaporated from his entire being.

_ Shua, Shua, Shua, Shua. _

_ It sucks we won’t get to see each other in Maseouljigu. Appa has no business in Seoul the day you’re planning to tour around your assigned firstie. Guess I’ll see you in school then. Anyway, make sure to introduce your little brother to me on the first day! _

_ Got to go, appa is asking me to help with the broom maintenance this year. _

_ The best part of your wizarding life, _

_ C. _

A faint smile graces Joshua’s lips as he finishes the brief letter. Ok then, guess it will be just him, Hannie, Junnie and the firstie on their shopping trip this year.


	5. Spheres

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jun provides an education even before school starts and Jeonghan witnesses a novelty in the Chambers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we see mentions of the rest of the SVT gang, and more of the Magical World.

“Haohao, you’ve got to meet my friends! Come on, you can use a little more human interaction!” Junhui crows as he tugs on the Chinese boy's arms a little too forcefully. 

Minghao just rolls his eyes at him, hands easing out of Junhui's grip. “And what do you call the servants in the Steer Landing? Dragon dung?”

Junhui hums. “I thought they were called house elves! You shouldn’t treat them like dragon shit ya know.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it, ge,” Minghao says defeatedly, following the skipping Junhui at a much calmer pace. He takes a look around the popular magical district. It's his first time in Maseouljigu and outside Chinese magical towns so he can't help but marvel at the various shops, both old and new lining the street in front of them. The foreign signages and unfamiliar smells seem to make everything more magical and he is starkly reminded that he is out of Ansan, out of Dongbei and out of Magical China.

“Who are we meeting anyway?” Minghao asks aloud since Junhui is a good few meters ahead of him. 

“Well, you’re officially meeting the J-unit!” Junhui calls back.

“Pardon? The J-what?”

“The J-unit, the Triple J’s, All That JazzJazzJazz.”

Minghao looks at Jun as if he’s lost his mind. “I’m afraid that you’re under the impression that I know what you are referring to.”

Junhui spins around, a pout evident on his face, his deep mustard coat fluttering around him and Minghao briefly wonders if Junhui bought the coat here in Korea or if it has been custom made. “Oh come on, Hao! Don’t you read my letters at all?”

“I do, but to be completely honest, I have lost track of all the people you’ve associated with.”

“That’s fair," Junhui relents. "There are nine of us. We could give the High Coven of Sonyeo a run for their money if we were witches.”

Minghao shrugs noncommittally not really caring about the coven comment, and Jun stops his obnoxious skipping down the streets, finally enabling Minghao to catch up with him.

“What is the The J-unit? Are you in some kind of traveling troupe now? Bound within the four walls of the school?”

“Correction, there are 70 walls surrounding the school, and about 120 to 160 walls in around 15 to 20 buildings within the school.”

“I would not dare ask how you knew all of this,” Minghao says with a deadpan expression. Junhui does have his ways to know things.

Junhui grins at him, shoulders shimmying into Minghao’s personal radius. “I could be kidding.”

“Yes, that you could be, for now, it is not my concern. But what is this All That JazzJazzJazz?”

“Oh that’s what I like to call us. Shua calls us The J-unit, but Han keeps it simple with Triple J’s”

“So this Shua and Han, are they who we are meeting today?” 

“Yep. We’re All That JazzJazzJazz.” Junhui pops off the p and wriggles his fingers 

“All That JazzJazzJazz,” Minghao tests it out skeptically. “The traveling troupe of what I assume to be idiots like you?”

“You are so mean Xu Minghao! I’m going to tell on you to your personal house elf. I’m sure ChiChi would kick you out of your room the minute he learns about it.”

Minghao has lost count of how many times he’s rolled his eyes in the entire walk and they haven't even passed a few hundred meters. Junhui has always liked thinking that Chichi and him were as thick as thieves.

“But anyways, we’re more of a kpop idol boy group than a travelling band of merry idiots just like how you, your highness, Xu Mean-hao put it,” Jun says with a flourish, his fingers wiggling at Minghao’s face and Minghao only gets annoyed and slaps it away.

“What is a Kpop idol boy group?”

“Oh! It’s glorious! You never know what these Maseulobs come up with! Shua showed me some the last time he invited the J-unit over and it is honestly the best thing Maseulobs have ever invented!”

Minghao freezes at the mention of non-magicals or Maseulobs but Jun doesn’t notice and prattles on. He's never realised that Jun was the type to associate with non-magicals but then again he has always been the friendlier of the pair.

“Honestly! It’s actually coz of Shua that we even thought of forming a unit, I mean, we are the best looking guys in our year and we all have names starting with J. Yoon Jeonghan, Hong Jisoo or Joshua Hong, and me! Wen Junhui! That’s why we’re the J-unit, Triple Js, All That JazzJazzJazz, whatever floats your magic carpet!” Jun pauses a bit, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Actually, it would have been four if we added in Jeon Wonwoo from Ravenclaw, but his name doesn’t start with J. It’d be nice if he was named Won Jeonwoo and then we can be The Quadruple J’s or All That JazzJazzJazzJazz, we’d still be The J-unit though according to Shua.”

“This Shua, he is not from a wizarding family? He’s not a Meiyou Shi is he?” Minghao asks in a guarded voice.

Jun stops walking and looks at Minghao balefully. “Hao!”

“What?”

“It doesn’t matter where Shua is from! He’s honestly one of the craftiest Slytherins in our year, and he’s one of my best friends! The only thing that should matter is that he’s kind and that he’s someone you can depend on, and that’s why I even thought of introducing him to you!”

“Hey, hey, I was not implying anything!” Minghao raises his hands up, quickly defending himself.

“Haohao,” Jun starts patiently as if talking to a kid. In this case, Minghao is the kid, a baby to the magical society of Korea and the rest of Asia; and as someone older than him, Jun believes it is his duty to make sure Minghao comes into Hogwarts with an open and tolerant view. “This is not Dongbei anymore. I know in Dongbei, we only have the Fuza Shi, but there’s a whole world out there with people with magical abilities that do not come from old bloods. Besides, Shua is a Jian shi or, here they call it Banhyeol. His mother is non-magical but his father is a Jingol, or a Fuza Shi, but I am guessing he’s one of the lower ranked Fuza Shi’s, maybe a Nan Fuza Shi.”

Minghao feels slightly chastised. “I was not implying anything, at all, Ge. Sorry.”

“I know, I just, it’s different being in Hogwarts. Back in Shenzen, which you have to admit, has a lot more Jian Shis and Meiyou Shis than Dongbei, the magic seems so stifled, but here it’s different. I’m glad your parents decided to let you go to Hogwarts, but remember, Hogwarts is more than just who is a Fuza shi and who isn’t.”

“I know that, I think,” Minghao starts. “I told them I want to learn more about the world, and you know how Ma and Pa are. I had to show them the things you were learning, even about the runes not in Chinese. It was difficult to convince them, especially with Mingfei Jie saying she turned out as a fine witch without Hogwarts.”

Jun nods understandingly, urging Minghao to continue.

“Jie did not want me associating with non-Fuza Shi. She says the Amits would not look kindly on these kinds of associations, and you know how I have always wanted to be part of the Amits. They are the best of the best after all.”

Jun looks at him with a bit of pity and wonders how he can break it to Minghao that the Amits are not exactly “The Best of the Best” as he put it, not with the current situation in wizarding Asia, but he bites his tongue and instead takes another approach.

“Haohao, don’t you want to be something else? I mean, I know your whole lot are Amits, if not patrons for some of the more popular ones, they’re good people but don’t you want to be something else aside from another Amit Xu?”

Minghao only sighs in response. Despite Jun being a Fuza Shi like him, the Wens are Zis, they have never been that deeply entrenched in the politics of Magical China and Asia unlike the Xus who are Huos. Jun would never grasp the significance of becoming an Amit, especially since the majority of the Gong, Huo and Bo of the Fuza Shis are known patrons of the Amit.

“You’re still young, Haohao! Young and free to choose what you wanna be!” Jun continues with a reassuring pat to his back, aware of his dear friend’s issues, but choosing to gloss over it instead. They’re still kids after all.

“So are you, what would you know?” Minghao jokingly retorts.

“A lot more than you do! Remember, I have 2 years of magical schooling over you!” Jun pokes at Minghao’s cheek. “I know a lot more than all your tutors combined!”

And again, Minghao finds his eyeballs rolling. Anymore and he would be afraid that his eyes would remain stuck that way, but the topic of non-magicals and Amits is swiftly dismissed and the two close friends, brothers as they would prefer to introduce each other, walk down the Maseouljigu in search of the remaining members of All That JazzJazzJazz.

* * *

_Sorry, running late. Chambers with father is awfully boring, and dragging on. Will meet you at Key’s Me with Huihui once they kick me out for the vote._

Yoon Jeonghan finishes penning his note to Joshua and he carefully folds the expensive vellum with the Yoon family crest into a small crane. With a tap of his wand and a whispered “Joshuji”, the vellum crane takes flight. He watches it fly discreetly, hidden below oak tables and weaving through legs, both wooden and human alike. He wonders if Joshua and Jun have met and if they brought along the two firsties that they were assigned with.

Jeonghan has never been assigned a firstie, but then again, it was the first time that Shua had a firstie assigned to him and the second time for Jun. Last year, Jun was assigned a tall Chinese boy who was almost the same age as him who went by the name Yan An. As far as Jeonghan knows, Jun has taken Yan An under his wing despite the firstie ending up in Ravenclaw

He was half hoping he’d have a firstie of his own to mentor, unfortunately, luck was not on his side this term. Neither Shua nor Jun gave him any clues on the firsties they got so he was a bit antsy to meet them.

Last term’s firsties, now second years, which he has amassed from his network of friends; the Ravenclaw introvert Jihoon, that Wonwoo introduced, the bubbly Hufflepuff Seokmin, that Jun and Soonyoung roped into a prank late last year and the mildly adorable Gryffindor Kim Mingyu, victim of said prank and Choi Seungcheol’s half apprentice-half pet were fine, but now he just wants more young ones to dote after. Besides, the noticeable lack of Slytherins in the second years just makes him want someone he can take under his wing. He’s hoping that with Shua getting his own little firstie, the chances of that firstie being sorted into Slytherin is high. He’s got no such hopes for Jun’s firstie, but he’d welcome any friend.

The “Little Brother/Sister” program is unique to Hogwarts Asia. It’s something developed by Professor Kim Heechul himself which aims to allow foreign and non-pureblood students alike to better integrate into both Korean and Magical societies by pairing up firsties with older years most suitable for them. He was pretty sure their head of house only designed this program to make sure he has minimal involvement with students as much as possible. Every year, along with the disappointment of not becoming a “Big Brother” to some firstie comes the wonder of how Professor Heechul was able to sway Headmaster Leeteuk and convince the Board of Governors to allow immature students like him have influence on other, younger and more impressionable students. He’s guessing it is like training for prefecture, then head student-ship, and outside Hogwarts, the Chambers.

A commotion on the stone table where six of the High Coven of Sonyeo sat takes his attention away from his thoughts. Minister for Magic Kim Taeyeon stands at a petite height of 1.58 metres but commands the entirety of the chamber with the pink sparks shooting up her wand. A voice amplifying charm takes effect as soon as she opens her mouth and a firm but melodious voice echoes inside the chamber.

“Now that the details of the Merchandising Act has been finalized, I was informed that there are new representatives present today that have not been in previous conclaves for this specific motion. As the presider of this conclave, I request these representatives to come forward and declare their houses and stand on this motion. Please, take the floor.”

At this, two witches stand up in opposite corners of the room. The witch standing nearer to Jeonghan is Korean, and if he is correct, she is the representative from Jeju. The witch farther across the chamber is someone foreign and older, perhaps one of the Fuza Shi’s of China and Jeonghan has no idea who she is.

A path to the lower floor opens for the two witches, the Jeju witch gestures for the Fuza Shi to command the floor first in an act of deference for the elder witch. The Fuza Shi nods in acknowledgement and Jeonghan can only watch in awe as the purple and green bedecked cheongsam that the Fuza shi was wearing glistens as she descends along the path. The Jeju witch, follows soon after in her own path, dressed in a handsome peach and yellow hanbok. The two witches both bow down before the Minister and with a cross of the Minister’s arms, the Fuza Shi begins her introduction.

A buzzing in Jeonghan’s ear lets him know that a translation charm has been activated throughout the chamber and his suspicions were proven correct when a slightly accented Korean familiar to those who are native speakers of Mandarin rings all throughout.

“Good day respected fellows of the Korean Chambers, I am Xu Mei Hui of the Huo Xu’s. I have come here as the rightful representative of Huo Xu’s. It has been my husband, Xu Zhi Qiang who has been present in the past conclaves. I have completely understood the impact of this Merchandising Act and studied the strategies laid forward in the previous conclaves. The Huo Xu’s, being the leading portraiture and tailoring family in China, is bringing forward a vote of 20 Fuza Shis of varying ranks involved in this craft. We support the passage of the Merchandising Act and hope to emulate the same law in the Ancient Court of China.”

A collective gasp was heard in the crowd and though Jeonghan doesn’t entirely understand what the vote is for, he does realise how important this Fuza Shi is. In the chambers, multiple Seongol and Jinggol votes coming from one Seongol representative is not unheard of. Sometimes, there are Seongol families who in addition to having a huge bloodline that has nested cadet lines, also have a monopoly of their magical craft. The Yoon’s of Gyeonggi has a vast and complicated bloodline that affords them 8 bloodline votes, but the Yoon’s have not monopolised broom-making in Korea and so, they could at maximum, only represent 5 other minor broom-makers which come in as vocational votes. He remembers his father saying that the Broommaker Lee’s of Busan have a slightly higher number of vocational votes representing 7 other broom-makers, but they have lower bloodline votes with only three bloodlines.

Having 20 votes though is completely shocking to Jeonghan, and apparently, the rest of the Korean Chamber. He glances at his father who is sitting stoically in his chair but Jeonghan can tell that even his father is unsettled. He doesn’t even understand why someone from the Ancient Magical Court of China has that many votes in Korea, but then again, there’s not a lot of portraiture or tailoring families in Korea.

It is only when the Minister for Magical Security, a tall, dark and imposing woman named Kwon Yuri, calls for silence that the entire chamber quiets down. Minister Taeyeon gives Head Yuri a grateful nod and signals for her to continue on her behalf.

“The Magical Chambers of Korea recognised Huo Xu Mei Hui’s stand in this motion. Please come forward and present your wand arm to the Minister.”

Huo Xu obediently walks toward the now standing minister, dutifully guarded by Head Yuri and offers up her right arm. Minister Taeyeon draws up her own wand against the Fuza Shi and Jeonghan is both horrified and amazed at the way the spheres of blood and essence of magic float in the air and then solidify into perfect balls. Eight balls end up colored a dark maroon, signifying the bloodline votes, while the remaining 12 balls range in colors of greens and purples.

With the initial votes cast for the House of Xu, Huo Xu bows down respectfully and sweeps out of the floor, throwing a final look at the other witch who was left standing. Head Yuri gestures for the Jeju witch to move forward and introduce herself. 

“My fellow esteemed Seongols and Jingols, I am Boo Jinseol of the Jeju Seongol Boo’s. I am here on behalf of the entire House of Boos and as a representative to the Anchan Warding Group,” the Jeju witch now identified as Jinseol starts.

A hush falls upon the entire hall, everyone seems to be weighing the words they have heard. Jeonghan is slightly familiar with the Jeju Boo’s because they’re one of the last matrilineal bloodlines in Asia. The Anchan Warding Group, on the other hand, is Korea’s primary warding consultant. If he wasn’t interested in Chamber politics before, Jeonghan now finds himself anticipating what one of the largest conglomerates in magical Korea has to say regarding the issue that a dozen conclaves have been dedicated to.

“Our patriarch and Assisting Chairman of the Anchan Warding Group has been present in all conclaves regarding the motion of the Merchandising Act. Following careful studies and research into the development of wards and associated crafts, it is against our principles to support such Act,” Seongol Jinseol continues, voice unwavering as she expresses opposition to the passing of the motion. “With unconditional permission of parties in the House of Boos and the Anchan Warding Group, I, Seongol Boo Jinseol, vote against the passing of the Merchandising Act with the trust laid on me by 25 Seongols and Jingols of varying ranks.”

Murmurs once again arise within the chamber. Apparently, someone else can top the 20 votes that the Huo Xu have casted. Jeonghan can only imagine how much sway the future Boo head of the family would have when their time comes, especially since the Yoons are sitting on almost half of their votes. He watches the relatively young Jinseol step up to the podium and present her wand arm. Head Yuri shoots Seongol Jinseol a familiar smile and Jeonghan wonders just how familiar the two women are with each other. 

The extraction of blood oaths and craft allegiances seems to be the first time for the young witch as she visibly grimaced from the pain. Seven bloodline votes, all in bright vermillion solidify instantly, and 18 balls of pearlescent gold color materialize after. Seongol Jinsol only nods along with Head Yuri’s acknowledgement of the House of Boo’s votes. When the ceremony is over, and the first two opposing votes have been casted, the Minister for Magical Economy and Exchanges, Lee Soonkyu, stands up and moves to the podium, accompanying both Head Yuri and Minister Taeyeon.

“The floor is now open to accept votes for regular attendees of this dedicated conclave,” Head Soonkyu begins and jars appear on top of the desks for each voting representative. “May I request all non-voting parties to leave the hall.”

And that was the cue Jeonghan has been waiting for the whole morning. He stands up, bows to his father once and walks toward the chamber doors, loosening the tie on his Yoon official regalia. There seems to be no other non-voting representatives of his age that he knows from Hogwarts, so he doesn’t linger any longer. When he is out of the hall, he sprints like a freed prisoner. Chamber conclaves are always a mixed bag of boring and interesting drama but Jeonghan is always glad to leave it behind once voting commences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have written this chapter, like 3 months ago, but only decided to publish it now, I'm still plotting the story for this... but I guess I should update the tags to remove the Verkwan pairing because at this stage , they're still too young. I'm guessing this will be a pretty long HP AU fic because it's going to go through their schooldays.
> 
> Also, I've made up some blood rankings in Chinese Magical Court:
> 
> Chinese Nobility Rankings  
> -Gong  
> -Hou  
> -Bo  
> -Zi – Xiu Minghao – famous portraiture/wizarding fashion family in China  
> -Nan – Wei Junhui – famous quidditch supplies maker in China
> 
> Blood Purity Ranking in China, based on the concept of history of bloodlines. Unlike Blood Purity in HP World, older family names, regardless of whether they marry into halfbloods/muggleborns, have a higher weight because they exist longer in the magical world. However, that doesn't mean that Fuza Shi's would hurriedly accept Meiyou Shi's because for them, Meiyou Shi's are closer to upstarts.  
> -Fuza shi – with complex history, purebloods;  
> -Jian shi – with short history, halfbloods; and  
> -Meiyou shi – no history, muggleborns


End file.
